Free Republic

California first lady Maria Shriver, one of the Kennedy clan, says Democrats and average Californians are urging her to influence her husband, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, on how to deal with painful budget cuts to state social programs. "My office is inundated with hundreds of calls every day: 'Why don't I solve this?' " she said. But "it's not like you can just walk in; it's not so easy," she added. "The last thing all the legislators - and Arnold - need is that concept." Shriver made the comments in an interview with The Chronicle Wednesday, saying that while the...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California public employees are the highest-paid in all 50 states. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office in Sacramento has rated California the most generous in pension benefits for its employees. These guaranteed pensions are costing taxpayers more each year. The current bill is approaching $5 billion a year. Government workers still on the job have wonderful security – state employment actually grew in 2008 over the previous year, while the state's overall unemployment rate currently stands at 11.5 percent. Despite the economy and California's crushing tax burden, government employee unions push for even more taxes...

Retailers were posting disappointing monthly sales Thursday as consumers curbed spending amid higher gasoline prices and rising unemployment.

A group of office staff have discovered they work better together when they are NAKED. Workers at design and marketing company onebestway in Newcastle upon Tyne stripped off at the encouragement of their boss, who thought the move would boost business. The ailing company had seen six redundancies since the start of the credit crunch when business psychologist David Taylor was brought in to boost team spirit. In the buff: The workers at onebestway took a week to steel their nerves for Naked Friday Not ashamed: Sam Jackson said she felt 'totally comfortable' The event, dubbed Naked Friday, was deemed...

**FLASH** Goldman Code Theft BOMBSHELL? Something really ugly popped up on Daily Kos yesterday late in the afternoon..... ...GS, through access to the system as a result of their special gov't perks, was/is able to read the data on trades before it's committed, and place their own buys or sells accordingly in that brief moment, thus allowing them to essentially steal buttloads of money every day from the rest of the punters world.

In Russia this week, President Obama spoke about the end of the Cold War, disclaiming any distinctive role for the United States, crediting instead the actions of “many nations” and the Russian and Eastern European people who “stood up”:

Homelessness is an epidemic. As Americans, it is our right and privilege to help reach the needy. As Christians, it is our duty. What are the real problems and real solutions? "How do we reclaim our park benches back from the homeless?" I listened to a city official ask a group of business men and women last Tuesday. Sound heartless?

Conroe, TX — Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday Governor Palin is committed to campaigning for his re-election bid & that he welcomes the support of The Governor. Perry, after a luncheon speech to a Lions Club in Conroe north of Houston, said: He intends to complete the full four years if he's re-elected next year to a third term. "Sarah and I were friends well back before she became a national star, She'll be here."

Group's ‘mainstream’ Islamist convention last weekend featured hate speech and Hezbollah Defense A top aide to President Barack Obama provided a keynote address at last weekend's 46th Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) national convention, a gathering that attracted thousands of people and also featured anti-Semitic, homophobic rhetoric and defense of the terrorist group Hezbollah. In her remarks, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement and International Affairs Valerie Jarrett noted she was the first White House official to address ISNA. She spoke in general terms about interfaith dialogue and cooperation. She praised her hosts for "the diversity of American organizations, and...

The Rasmussen Presidential Approval Index today shows President Barack Obama's rating plummeting to -8. The Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll shows 30% now "Strongly Approve" of Obama's performance as President, while 38% "Strongly Disapprove." This is a five-point drop since just yesterday. . .

The Obama administration is playing a very dangerous game in trying to slink out of the clear understanding on settlements that the George W. Bush administration made with then-Israeli premier Ariel Sharon in 2003. This is bad and unethical policy at any time, and an unimaginably shabby treatment of an allied democracy that the U.S. and others are effectively relying on to do the world’s dirty work for it yet again — in Iran, in the shambles of the failed Obama policy to engage that primitive regime about nuclear weapons. The Iranian Islamic Republic has certainly been weakened, a fact...

A long time ago, in a much simpler time, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve System were created by men seeking power and they understood that power came through the control of money, if you wanted power over the government. The fed was born of that concept. In 1987, William Greider, a writer for Rolling Stone wrote the definitive book on the fed, entitled, “Secrets of the temple, how the federal reserve runs the country”. William Greider wrote an amazing book, you can read online here. But, the title should have ended in “runs the world”. In 1980...

We appreciate the input of hundreds of people who have voiced their opinions, both positive and negative, on the issue of including Michael Jackson in the 2009 butter sculpture. The ongoing discussion has created a lot of, well, ‘churn.’ Since everyone has an opinion about the sculpture, we’ve decided to put it to a vote and let Fairgoers decide. The concept of the sculpture will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk on July 20, 1969. In honor of Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” this year’s sculpture will include an astronaut, an American flag and a...

The financial system collapsed. Housing prices cratered. Unemployment is at a record high for the last quarter-century. The Democratic president has a solidly positive job rating. And yet we Americans have not suddenly become collectivists. The economic distress of the 1930s led Americans to favor less reliance on markets and more on government. The economic distress of the 1970s led Americans to favor less reliance on government and more on markets. It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect, as many political liberals have been predicting, that the economic distress of the late 2000s will produce a shift in the 1930s direction....

CHESNEE, S.C. — Police in South Carolina say an 8-year-old girl has been shot to death by the estranged husband of her father's girlfriend. Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright says the man grabbed the girl in a headlock Wednesday and shot her twice in the driveway of a home in Chesnee, about 60 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C.

While speaking about the stimulus bill recently, Obama advisor Laura Tyson said The plan turned out to be “a bit too small,” It’s ludicrous for an economics professor who is advising 0bama to make such a statement when it has been widely reported that 10% or less of the $787-billion stimulus has not even been spent yet! Hey LAURA, before you suggest another stimulus, or tell Americans that the first stimulus is “a bit too small,” why don’t you tell us where the rest of the $700 billion dollars are destined for before you start babbling and begging for more?...

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) explains his remark that the Republican party is "rooting against" America.

States are getting creative in the search for new tax revenue…

President Barack Obama keeps telling us how wonderful that his health care plan will be. "No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people," Obama said addressing the American Medical Association. "If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what." He didn't let up."If you like what you're getting, keep it," Obama said. "Nobody is forcing you to shift." Source Sounds wonderful...

Dear Fellow Conservative: If it concerns you that America is sliding toward socialism, I hope you will join me in supporting a group I am leading to elect true conservatives to the U.S. Senate who will stand up and fight to save freedom. Saving Freedom Fighting for freedom is the reason I ran for the Senate and it's also why I wrote a new book called Saving Freedom that I would like to send you. I'll tell you more about that in a minute... But first, I need you to CLICK HERE at https://secure.giveworks.net/www/senateconservatives.com/index.php?c=WF6WI if you agree that we need...